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ARITO: Cyber-attack response system using accurate risk impact tolerance

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Abstract

We propose a novel approach for automated intrusion response systems to assess the value of the loss that could be suffered by a compromised resource. A risk assessment component of the approach measures the risk impact and is tightly integrated with our response system component. When the total risk impact exceeds a certain threshold, the response selection mechanism applies one or more responses. A multi-level response selection mechanism is proposed to gauge the intrusion damage (attack progress) relative to the response impact. This model proposes a feedback mechanism, which measures the response goodness and helps indicate the new risk level following application of the response(s). Not only does our proposed model constitutes a novel online mechanism for response activation and deactivation based on the online risk impact, it also addresses the factors inherent in assessing risk and calculating response effectiveness that are more complex in terms of detail. We have designed a sophisticated multi-step attack to penetrate Web servers, as well as to acquire root privilege. Our simulation results illustrate the efficiency of the proposed model and confirm the feasibility of the approach in real time. At the end of paper, we discuss the various ways in which an attacker might succeed in completely bypassing our response system.

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Acknowledgments

The support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Ericsson Software Research, and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer and Software Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montreal, Canada

    Alireza Shameli-Sendi & Michel Dagenais

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  1. Alireza Shameli-Sendi
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  2. Michel Dagenais
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Correspondence to Alireza Shameli-Sendi.

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Shameli-Sendi, A., Dagenais, M. ARITO: Cyber-attack response system using accurate risk impact tolerance. Int. J. Inf. Secur. 13, 367–390 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10207-013-0222-9

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